1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a public telephone and, more particularly, to a public telephone with a cash payment function, which is connected to a server of a banking agency through a telephone network and verifies whether a credit card inserted by a user is available and, as the result of the verification, provides an amount of money required by the user from a currency cassette, thereby facilitating the cash withdrawal of the user.
Further, the present invention relates to a public telephone with a cash payment function wherein an operator uses an inexpensive telephone network instead of an exclusive line, thereby reducing an operational cost thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
A telephone, as a most representative communicating apparatus, may be classified into a telephone for domestic use, a telephone for business use and a public telephone. Recently, there is a growing tendency that various effective and convenient functions are additionally added to the telephone. Among them, the public telephone is provided for public users by a communication service provider. The conventional public telephone typically has only a communicating function.
Since a general commercial bank typically provides a service for customers only in a period of fixed hours(e.g., 09:30xcx9c16:30), it is difficult to satisfy a request of the customers for banking services during various periods of time(e.g., a 24-hour service or a late-night service). To solve the problem, most commercial banks provide a cash processing system for automatically performing cash handling operations associated with the banking services in a bank building or at a predetermined place, which is operated for 24 hours a day. However, since the cash processing system is typically designed to give first consideration to a cash paying function, the quality of such service can be lowered when considered as an aspect of a 24-hour banking service.
Further, there is also provided a cash processing system (e.g., cash dispenser:CD, automatic teller machine:ATM) such as at a convenience store which is open for 24 hours a day to provide the cash service. However, since the place for mounting the system is limited, there can be a limitation on the time and the place for providing the banking service to a user.
In addition, the cash processing system is typically connected to a server of the banking agency using an exclusive line. When referring to the banking agency in order to inquire as to whether a card inserted by the user is available, the cash processing system typically uses such an exclusive line.
Therefore, in such conventional cash processing system, there can exist some problems. In this regard, since the cash processing system is typically mounted at only a designated place, a great deal of effort and time can be required to find the place at which the cash processing system is mounted. Further, since the cash processing system is connected with the server of the banking agency through an exclusive line, the cost of which is expensive, an operator can be economically burdened with the cost.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a public telephone with a cash payment function, which can be mounted at various places over a wide area, thereby providing convenience to the user.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a public telephone with a cash payment function having a lowered maintenance cost.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a public telephone with a cash payment function, which can be mounted at various transporting means such as a ship or an airplane, etc., whereby the user can receive the cash service in such transporting means.
To achieve the above objects and other advantages of the present invention, there is provided a public telephone with a cash payment function, including: an inputting part for inputting information which is necessary for a cash service function and a general public telephone function; a displaying part for displaying a present operating state of the public telephone and various information for the cash service function and for the general public telephone function; a printer for outputting information of a result of the cash service requested by a user; a card reader which reads various information from a card inserted into the public telephone and adjusts an amount charged in the card according to an amount of use of the public telephone; a communicating circuit which allows the public telephone to perform the telephone function and includes a communicating control part, a dual tone multiple frequency (DTMF) generating part, a modulating/demodulating part and a line matching part; an interfacing part for interfacing an input/output state between the card reader and the communicating circuit; a memory part for storing various information including programs for the public telephone; a telephone network controlling part for interfacing the communicating circuit with a telephone network; a central processing unit for controlling an operation of the public telephone while communicating with the interfacing part by a desired protocol, for connecting the public telephone to a server of a banking agency when the user selects a cash service function, for transmitting card information read by the card reader to the server of banking agency, and for controlling the cash paying device according to a response from the server of banking agency; and a cash paying device which performs a cash paying function by means of a controlling operation of the central processing unit.
In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a public telephone with a cash payment function, including: an inputting part for inputting information which is necessary for a cash service function and a general public telephone function; a displaying part for displaying a present operating state of the public telephone and various information for the general public telephone function and for the cash service function; a printer for outputting information as to a result of the cash service requested by a user; a card reader which reads various information from a card inserted into the public telephone and adjusts an amount charged on the card according to an amount of use of the public telephone; a communicating circuit for allowing the public telephone to perform the telephone function and includes a communicating control part, a DTMF generating part, a modulating/demodulating part and a line matching part; an interfacing part for interfacing an input/output state between the card reader and the communicating circuit; a memory part for storing information including programs for the public telephone; a modem for modulating/demodulating information which is transmitted/received through a communicating network from/to the public telephone and also for controlling a transmitting/receiving state of the information; a communicating network controlling part for interfacing the modem with the communicating network; a telephone network controlling part for interfacing the communicating circuit with a telephone network; a central processing unit for controlling an operation of the public telephone while communicating with the interfacing part by a desired protocol, and for connecting the public telephone to a server of a banking agency when the user selects the cash service function, and for transmitting card information read by the card reader to the server of the banking agency, and for controlling a cash paying device according to a response from the server of banking agency; and a cash paying device for performing a cash paying function by means of a controlling operation of the central processing unit.
In a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a public telephone with a cash payment function, including: an inputting part for inputting information which is necessary for a cash service function and a general public telephone function; a displaying part for displaying a present operating state of the public telephone and information for the general public telephone function and for the cash service function; a printer for outputting information as to a result of the cash service requested by a user; a card reader which reads information from a card inserted into the public telephone and adjusts an amount charged on the card according to an amount of use of the public telephone; a communicating circuit for allowing the public telephone to perform the telephone function and includes a communicating control part, a DTMF generating part, a modulating/demodulating part and a line matching part; an interfacing part for interfacing an input/output state between the card reader and the communicating circuit; a memory part for storing information including programs for the public telephone; a wireless modem for modulating/demodulating voice data and card information which are transmitted/received through an antenna from/to the public telephone and the server of a banking agency, and for controlling a transmitting/receiving state of the information through the antenna; a central processing unit for controlling an operation of the public telephone while communicating to the interfacing part by means of a desired protocol, for connecting the public telephone to a server of the banking agency when the user selects a cash service function, for transmitting card information read by the card reader to the server of banking agency, and for controlling a cash paying device according to a response from the server of banking agency; and a cash paying device for performing a cash paying function by a controlling operation of the central processing unit.
Preferably, the cash paying device desirably includes: a controlling part for controlling a cash paying operation while communicating with the central processing unit, at least one currency cassette and a counting part for picking up and counting bills stored in the currency cassette and for discharging the counted bills.